People change careers three to seven times during their lifetimes, according to the United States Department of Labor. The start of a new job brings both excitement and optimism. But it also can be intense. Creating a 100-day plan, first pioneered by FDR to guide his first 100 days in office, can also help you through your own intense first days at a new job and equally set you up for success.
As with most things in life, relationships are key. Building a great relationship with stakeholders, both internal and external, is the first priority in any new job. Setting up one-on-one meetings (if possible, face to face) in order to get to know who you are working with will lay the foundation for great work. Meeting with coworkers and vendors allows you to be able to establish context, priorities, strengths and, most of all, trust.
While you are building out your relationships, you should also begin to lay down your preliminary 100-day marketing plan. There are five steps to create your plan: audit, plan, procure, execute, and analyze. At the end of those five steps, the cycle begins again.
Additionally, while you are going through the steps it is important to find smaller quick wins that show action, movement and an understanding of the business. Solving pain points early on establishes early credibility. “I’ll use Jim Collins’ Flywheel Effect to get some quick wins, make slow and steady progress, and don’t overpromise,” says William Koleszar, CMO of American Family Care.
Step 1: AUDIT
To begin your digital marketing work, you must first know what you are working with and the expectations of the company. You need a plan. To do this, you must first engage in open and candid conversations with management in order to understand your role and targets.
Here are other important steps in the audit process:
- Gather data & ask questions
- Meet with as many people as you can
- Assess the skill set of your team
- Review and organize the data
What data, you ask? Here are some of the pieces you will need to create a clear picture of what you have, how it is working, and what you need:
- People
- Processes
- Products
- Budgets
- Website, social media, email and paid analytics
- Brand assets
- Martech tools and digital systems
There are numerous ways to go about analyzing each of the pieces above, but do it in a way that aligns with your targets and your company’s style.
Step 2: PLAN
Creating a framework for your tasks will benefit everyone you work with as well as the organization. Once you have audited your digital marketing assets, it’s time to form a plan. The plan can be a long-term plan (beyond your 100-day marketing plan), but make sure to break it down into smaller steps to be able to adjust and be nimble as you go. This will ensure you have quick wins and are making steady progress.
One way to plan your digital marketing mix is to use the PESO model. It takes the four media types—paid, earned, shared and owned—and merges them together. Couple this with a brand message house that includes all of your vital messaging and strategy, and you have a solid plan that can be a great starting point for actionable next steps. Additionally, your plan should include revenue targets that make marketing revenue-driven and not just a sales and business enablement function. Set KPIs and targets for your team that are tied into your revenue goals.
With this plan in place you will have influencer engagement, partnerships, and incentive programs that will help you establish authority and thought leadership. You will also have buy-in from all stakeholders—the key to your success —as well as a clear roadmap for your brand marketing.
Step 3: PROCURE
Once the plan is in place, it’s time to get the resources you need to act on your plan. These resources may include people, tech and budget. Reach out to your internal networks first to see who and what they have established or any prior relationships. Identify how you might be able to utilize those resources or if you need to bring in something different. If you are looking for a new resource, reach out to your external networks for recommendations.
Building a martech stack that will grow with your brand requires you to figure out what tools, systems and data you will need. It is important to ensure your resources are in line with and will enhance your digital marketing efforts. Also be sure to think about how you want to communicate with your teams and the platforms that will be used to support your workflow.
Step 4: EXECUTE
Once you’ve audited, planned and procured, now it’s time to do the work. Actioning on your 100-day marketing plan will provide you with feedback as to what is working and what needs to be adjusted or reexamined. According to Alice de Coursey, Cognism Head of Marketing, “Do as much as you can, get as much stuff live as possible then worry about the bigger picture and overall processes afterwards. Until you find out what works, you can’t scale it.”
Leaning into the relationships you’ve created will be key to this step in the process. If you have established great relationships, then you will be able to gain immediate buy in and trust in your ability to execute with a people-first strategy. According to Six Seconds, “effective leaders set a context of trust, where people are motivated, adaptable to change, collaborate as a team, and focus on executing key results.”
Step 5: ANALYZE
The last step is the most important step to not skip or put off. Giving a critical eye and using both quantitative results and anecdotal feedback are key to knowing what’s working and what’s not.
Beyond analyzing metrics that you have set up in your 100-day marketing plan and are monitoring with your martech stack, you need to ask your stakeholders for feedback. In order to get valuable feedback, here are some things to consider, according to Harvard Business Review:
- Understand the kind of feedback you want, whether it’s coaching, praise, or an evaluation of work.
- Ask in real time. This will create a more organic feedback loop going forward.
- Pose specific questions designed to elicit helpful information and examples.
Using this information, pivoting, adjusting and taking the next step will lead to momentum toward your targets. And then it’s time to rinse and repeat. Cycling through analysis in both in a set timeframe and whenever the need arises will help you to be nimble, agile, and ultimately successful in your targets.
Photo by Christina @ wocintechchat.com on Unsplash